8 Former inmate bitten by police dog files $500,000 lawsuit

The first known use of an attack dog to bite an inmate to get him out of his jail cell in Oregon amounts to an excessive use of force, a federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges.

The dog bit the inmate's thigh and left arm, pulled him to the ground and continued to tear at his arm inside a locked cell at the Columbia County jail in St. Helens last Aug. 1.

The six sheriff's deputies involved waited about six weeks to file any reports on the cell extraction and when they did included "false and misleading'' information that contrasted with images from body cam , the suit alleges.

Former inmate Christopher Bartlett filed the civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland against Columbia County and the deputies. He seeks $500,000 in damages.

He alleges that the dog attack amounted to assault and cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

"The defendants knew that their conduct was wrong and conspired to 'sweep it under the rug,' and make it appear as if the attack had never happened,'' attorney Jacob Johnstun wrote in the suit.